A quartet of Ireland's Grand Slam winners have been nominated for the Rugby Players Ireland Players' Player of the Year award. Caelan Doris, Mack Hansen, Hugo Keenan, and Dan Sheehan are set to battle it out for the prestigious gong on Wednesday, May 17th, at The Clayton Hotel.
This comes two months after Ireland won their first Grand Slam on home soil against England.
This is the second year Doris, Hansen, and Keenan have been nominated for the award, while it is Sheehan's first. He replaces the current World Player of the Year, Josh van der Flier, in the list.
Doris, Hansen, and Keenan were also up for the Six Nations Player of the Championship, but that accolade went to Toulouse's Antoine Dupont.
The award show will be held at the Clayton on Burlington Road next week and will be hosted by former Ireland players Barry Murphy and Andrew Trimble. In the Women's category, known as The Bank of Ireland Women's XVs Players' Player of the Year award, Neve Jones, Deirbhile Nic a Bhàird, and captain Nichola Fryday have all been selected despite a poor Six Nations campaign this year.
And the nominees are… https://t.co/RbeDf4dn3b
— Irish Rugby (@IrishRugby) May 10, 2023
On the night, the Nevin Spence Men's Young Player of the Year award will also be up for grabs, and the nominees for that are Sheehan, Munster's Jack Crowley, and Ulster's Tom Stewart. Stewart set a new scoring record of 16 tries in the BKT United Rugby Championship this season, which saw him voted as the tournament's Next-Gen Player of the Season.
Other awards to be presented include the Triton Lake 7s Player of the Year prizes, with Lucy Mulhall, Emily Lane, Béibhinn Parsons, Jack Kelly, Harry McNulty, and Andrew Smith among the nominees.
Finally, the Zurich Irish Contribution to Society Award will be presented to an individual who has been a valued member of their community. Commenting on the announcement, Rugby Players Ireland chairperson Peter O’Mahony said, “The past year has demonstrated that while Irish Rugby is in a good place, there is still plenty of work to be done to ensure that we are fighting on all fronts. To get to where we want to go, we can never stand still. Nevertheless, it’s important that before we move on to new goals and ambitions, we must recognize the achievement of our players who reach the pinnacle of their game. I wish to congratulate all nominees and their teammates on their efforts this season.”
Simon Keogh, CEO of Rugby Players Ireland, added: “My congratulations to all who have been nominated this year. This recognition is a testament to their hard work, dedication, and talent, both on and off the field, and the highest tribute their peers can pay. We are proud to represent such exceptional people.”
BANK OF IRELAND MEN’S XVs PLAYERS’ PLAYER OF THE YEAR 2023
Caelan Doris Leinster Rugby
Mack Hansen Connacht Rugby
Hugo Keenan Leinster Rugby
Dan Sheehan Leinster Rugby
BANK OF IRELAND WOMEN’S XVs PLAYERS’ PLAYER OF THE YEAR 2023
Nichola Fryday Exeter Chiefs
Neve Jones Gloucester Hartpury
Deirbhile Nic a Bháird Old Belvedere RFC
NEVIN SPENCE MEN’S XVs YOUNG PLAYER OF THE YEAR 2023
Jack Crowley Munster Rugby
Dan Sheehan Leinster Rugby
Tom Stewart Ulster Rugby
IZEST MARKETING WOMEN’s XVs YOUNG PLAYER OF THE YEAR 2023
Nastaja Behan Blackrock College RFC
Aoife Dalton Old Belvedere RFC
Sadhbh McGrath Cooke RFC
MSL MERCEDES-BENZ DEALERSHIPS‘ MEN’S XVs TRY OF THE YEAR 2023
Shane Daly Munster v South Africa Select XV
Mack Hansen Ireland v South Africa, Autumn Nations Cup
Hugo Keenan Ireland v France, Guinness Six Nations
AIB CORPORATE BANKING WOMEN’S XVs TRY OF THE YEAR 2023
Natasja Behan Ireland v Japan, Test Series
Aoife Doyle Ireland v Japan, Test Series
Nichola Fryday Ireland v Scotland, TikTok Six Nations
TRITON LAKE MEN’S 7s PLAYER OF THE YEAR 2023
Jack Kelly
Harry McNulty
Andrew Smith
TRITON LAKE WOMEN’S 7s PLAYER OF THE YEAR 2023
Emily Lane
Lucy Mulhall
Béibhinn Parsons
